Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].

Pizza Boy Brewing first started brewing on a 5 HL brew system in 2011, in their original location at 4520 Valley Rd, in Enola. In 2012 they built a new location at 2240 Millennium Way in Enola and started brewing on a 20 HL brew system. This new location has both Pizza Boy Brewing and Al’s Of Hampden, the original restaurant which was founded in 2002.

The entire location is 10,000 sq/ft and features over 100 beers on tap, and features a full menu in addition to the delicious pizza they’re known for. In 2015, Pizza Boy then upgraded to a 50 HL brewhouse.

Albert Kominski is the owner and head brewer at Pizza Boy Brewing. Read more to find out his introduction to craft beer, where he sees the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I can’t remember a specific start, but it def wasn’t the 40s or Schmidts I used to drink when I was younger.

How did you get started as a brewer?

We were selling a lot of beer and I wanted to make something that would be specific to our restaurant to drive customers in.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

I think IPA would be the answer. So much diversity and the style is so well-liked that people try everything you want to do with it. Just not chicken soup IPA, I tried that once, and no one should ever do that.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

It was a lager. Patience. I definitely learned patience from brewing.

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

It almost seems like our entire industry is under attack. Shortage of talent, shortage of people that want to learn. Skyrocketing prices, insurance premiums, COGS and not being able to sell as much draft beer is going to leave our industry in a strange place. I guess we see who makes it through all this and have pints in a few years.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.

Our archaic laws make it an absolute pleasure to do business every single day. That is unless you have lobbyists pushing an agenda then you definitely get what you want. The rest of us brew beer we like and share it with anyone that will partake.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

Our beer names all happen organically and usually make sense to us at one point in our process. That doesn’t always translate directly to the consumer.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

I’m drinking Pilsner and I’m a big fan of our Murren River Ipa. You should give it a try sometime. Citrus ladened and smile projecting.

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

If a beer sucks just dump it.